For shellac finish users, good news: Shellac flakes have become more plentiful. Even those familiar with shellac may not know that it starts out as a crusty protective coating secreted on tree ...

Traditional oil and wax finishes penetrate deep into wood fiber rather than sitting on the surface, making them far more resistant to cracking and peeling than modern coatings. Shellac — a finish used ...

Traditional woodworkers followed a disciplined finishing sequence passed down through apprenticeships that most modern builders have never encountered. Wetting bare wood before the final sanding pass ...

My buddy Chuck called me the other day and asked me to help out with a project. His wife, Kate, had lost her mother earlier in the year. When her mom’s estate was divided up, Kate got her mom’s Singer ...

Q: We just stripped six layers of paint off the front door of our 1820s house. I think the door is made of chestnut. We don’t want to repaint it, and we don’t like polyurethane. What’s the best ...

Touch-up. When removing glue squeeze-out, sand with the grain using P220-grit sandpaper. Keep the block flat against the work to avoid rounding over an edge. Shield adjacent surfaces with a wide ...

Next time you’re working on a project that needs a durable wood finish, don’t grab the polyurethane. Follow [Victor Ola’s] advice and raid your grandparent’s record cabinet for some old 78 records.

While it’s true that many homeowners and hobbyists attempt to finish interior wooden furniture, trim and cabinets, few people achieve the results they’d hoped for. At least this is certainly the way ...

Unless you move in architectural circles, you might never have heard of Yakisugi. But as a fence builder, [Lucas] over at Cranktown City sure has, with high-end clients requesting the traditional ...